Attorney General Alan Wilson supports President Trump’s efforts to unleash American energy production to meet growing needs

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and 22 other state attorneys general are supporting President Trump’s plans to increase U.S. energy production to meet the growing demands of our nation. They say it’s a matter of national security and prosperity.

The 23-state coalition sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum supporting President Trump’s efforts and explaining why it’s crucial to the states and the nation.

“This is not about politics or preferences,” Attorney General Wilson said. “If we don’t start producing more electricity by expanding fossil fuel energy sources, large parts of this country won’t have the power they need for everyday life.”

Renewable energy sources have so far been too unreliable and weak to replace fossil fuels. Their letter points out that, “the North American Electric Reliability Corporation projects that, unless something is done now, large swaths of our country will not have a reliable power grid as soon as this year, even during normal conditions.”

President Trump’s Executive Order 14156 declares a national energy emergency and restores and revitalizes our traditional energy sources, including coal-fired power plants. The Biden administration adopted anti-fossil fuel policies that reduced our nation’s energy production. “The result is the lowest level of coal production since 1960 – at a time when grid reliability is in a precarious state,” the attorneys general write in their letter.

It's not just about keeping up with current needs, though. Artificial intelligence requires chips, data, and electricity. But we might soon lack adequate electricity, as American AI energy consumption is expected to increase dramatically over the next five years. “Without increased coal-fired energy production, we will not be ready to meet this spike in power demand,” the letter states. If current trends don’t change, China has the ability to surpass the United States as the world leader in AI.

The attorneys general say the U.S. is in an energy crisis, and if we fail to meet the demands of the AI industry and other key sectors, we will face increased threats to our prosperity and national security.

Joining Attorney General Wilson in the letter are the attorneys general from West Virginia, North Dakota, and Wyoming, which led the letter, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

You can read the letter here.